John Ulrich, keeping it real!

[Ducky_Fresh]

http://roadracingworld.com/news/article/?article=34316

Nothing like calling out American Honda! Nice.

He's pretty good at making sure to play the political game to keep his Suzuki's for M4/EMGO next year though. Not a bad word about Harris's involvement, even though it appears to be a total breach of contract. So what if he saved SX..

 

[Seesm]

Uhlrich scares and excites me all the same.. I do not EVER want him writing bad about me... He is pretty cool....

After reading that it really REALLY appears the AMA DID REALLY screw Roger Edmondsen... Silly to try to take advantage of people... Sounds like just "old" bad blood to me... I still say Suzuki and HOnda will be in AMA for 09... stupid if they are not.

 

[Ducky_Fresh]

Yeah, exactly. Initially, I would have thought JU would have been anti DMG.

But I guess some thought on the matter, he's probably for it. I mean his team mainly fields competitive 600's, and super stock bikes. He wants to break the "factory" party lines and create a better racing environment, and some change is better than more of the same according to most.

The general consensus of everyone I've spoken to, is that USSB will not be able to get off the ground in time to hold a quality series. Securing track time, writing a rule book, figuring out staffing, etc, etc. Many of these things take about 2 years to plan in advance for, to do properly.

Personally, I still expect Honda and Suzuki to show up at WERA races and piggyback with them next year. That is if they don't settle with DMG and join in the festivus of 2009.

The funny thing is, DMG really didn't have to do much to tweek the current format. All they had to do was copy WSBK!!! Spec Dunlop tires in Superbike and Supersport. 2 SBK races, 1 Supersport Race, a limited Superstock schedule (2/3rds the events). Continue with the rookies cup as your support race. Hire a team of 10 to drum up real SPONSORSHIP from companies like Yahoo, Google, etc.

 

[TWF]

Ducky,you been on vacation in Amazon last few months?

 

[Ducky_Fresh]

No way. I just haven't seen him come out this hard against the manufacturers.

 

[Seesm]

Yeah he could have jumped in with little tweaks and made a huge impact.. I feel he came in to fired up and not caring who to piss off... BUT he made a maybe bigger impact... I am hopeful as it is all I have... (after RE-READING THIS IT MAY NOT MAKE SENSE...) i MEANT rOGER e NOT John U.) sorry

 

[2000yellow360]

Neither of you have a clue as to what really happened here. Not a clue. Let's take a review of what did occur:

1. The AMA decided to sell the pro series. Did so because they'd lost huge amounts of money on the racing. Decided they were better off representing riders, rather than trying to run a business, which they didn't do well.

2. The series was put up for sale. After all was over and done, DMG (Daytona Motor Group), ended up purchasing the series. The main finance guy behind the group is Jimmy France, whose family owns NASCAR. His counsel is David Atlas, a Harvard Law grad, active in racing for the last 30 years. Used to race a Suzuki 500 in the Vintage class.

3. DMG decided that they would run a series where everyone had an opportunity to win. Not a series dominated by factories where special parts, tires, etc., were given to the chosen few.

4. DMG offered to keep all of the rules in place for the manufacturers. Every time DMG offered to modify their rules, the manufacturers changed their tune, and demanded something else.

5. Both Mel Harris and Ray Blank had a hard on for Roger Edmundson. They were the movers and shakers that attempted to screw him when the AMA attempted to steal his series. As everyone knows, the AMA lost a 3M verdict to him over that little game.

6. Both Mel Harris & Ray Blank have said essentially that they aren't going to run in a series where they can't control the series. That wasn't going to happen here. When someone like Michael Jordan can't win, despite his economics, something is crooked. That isn't going to happen in theDMG series.

7. Ulrich has pointed out the truth of what has occurred, and he has pointed the finger of blame at Mel Harris more than once.

8. The manufacturers haven't been able to obtain racing sites nor have they gotten the infra-structure in place to organize any racing series. Indeed, their purses, under the AMA are so small, if you run their series, you can't even pay for the tires you'll use. DMG has guaranteed enough money so that a privateer can survive. Given the above, expect to see very, very small grids at the manufacturers races.

Sorry for the rank, but I've always found it better to keep my mouth shut when I don't know what I'm talking about.

Art

 

[FZ1Craig]

Sorry for the rank, but I've always found it better to keep my mouth shut when I don't know what I'm talking about.

Cool Art, the next time anyone wants to post anything on BARF, we will give you a ring to see if you feel it is worthy to be written down. Can we have your home number?

You take this a little too seriously...

 

[2000yellow360]

Cool Art, the next time anyone wants to post anything on BARF, we will give you a ring to see if you feel it is worthy to be written down. Can we have your home number?

You take this a little too seriously...

Sorry to have been so upset, but I'm actively involved in this deal, and I know who the clowns are and who they are not. John is looking out for the sport, always has been. I've been John's lawyer long before he started RRW so I know a little about him. One thing is absolutely clear about him: he never minces words when he's got an opinion, and indeed he has no problem going after his sponsors, indeed, his agreements with his sponsors specify that he can do exactly that.

He is where he is, because he is probably the only journalist who consistently tells it the way he sees it, not how his commercial interests tell him to say it.

When I was racing, you couldn't believe a word you read in the magazines. Writers got fired if they badmouthed a product that advertised in the magazine, writers got free stuff from the manufacturers and kissed their you know what to get that stuff. John put an end to that, so when you read his stuff, you know that you are getting honest appraisals of the stuff.

Sorry for the rant.

Art

 

[SFAMike]

I have been reading about this for a while, both on superbikeplanet.com and roadracingworld.com. Its funny how you get two diffrent percpectives, sometimes the percpective seems influenced. In any case I put way more stock into what I read on roadracingworld.com.

I think DMG will be good for US road racing. Most people dont like change, there are unknowns and unknowns are scary. I believe thats why there was some backlash from privateers at the begining. I bet that if a poll was taken now by privateers it would show a majority welcome DMG. DMG is necessary, AMA roadracing at this point in time is Boring. The last AMA race I attended was the USGP the first year they came back, this saddens me.

If none of this makes sense, my apologies Im loaded up on pain meds!

 

[jrace]

Alright Art, as JU's lawyer I have a question for you...

How many times have you seen John smile? :teeth

-jim

 

[2000yellow360]

Alright Art, as JU's lawyer I have a question for you...

How many times have you seen John smile? :teeth

-jim

Quite a few times. You know, of all the riders that John has helped over the years, the only one that thanked him after being successful was Ben. Think about that when you think he's dour. Kevin Schwantz didn't thank him, John Hopkins didn't thank him either. Says something about the riders that he's helped, I think. Would make anyone a little sour.

 

[FZ1Craig]

Sorry to have been so upset, but I'm actively involved in this deal, and I know who the clowns are and who they are not. John is looking out for the sport, always has been. I've been John's lawyer long before he started RRW so I know a little about him. One thing is absolutely clear about him: he never minces words when he's got an opinion, and indeed he has no problem going after his sponsors, indeed, his agreements with his sponsors specify that he can do exactly that.

He is where he is, because he is probably the only journalist who consistently tells it the way he sees it, not how his commercial interests tell him to say it.

When I was racing, you couldn't believe a word you read in the magazines. Writers got fired if they badmouthed a product that advertised in the magazine, writers got free stuff from the manufacturers and kissed their you know what to get that stuff. John put an end to that, so when you read his stuff, you know that you are getting honest appraisals of the stuff.

Sorry for the rant.

Art

No worries Art. I probably should have put up a smart ass smilie or something to keep from coming off so strong myself. I can understand when you are in the middle of something, and read the crap we post up here. I would have acted the same way.

Happy riding,
Craig

 

[Zerox]

6. Both Mel Harris & Ray Blank have said essentially that they aren't going to run in a series where they can't control the series. That wasn't going to happen here. When someone like Michael Jordan can't win, despite his economics, something is crooked. That isn't going to happen in theDMG series.

That interview with Jordan a year or two ago was very revealing. Here was a multi-millionaire, famous for his competitive spirit, who honestly wanted to win....and he couldn't even buy the parts to win because the people making the parts were the same people controlling the series.

I heard the fake-ass MIC series had dibs on Stockton Motorplex, does Mladin know how to get there? :laughing

 

[Seesm]

Neither of you have a clue as to what really happened here. Not a clue. Let's take a review of what did occur:

1. The AMA decided to sell the pro series. Did so because they'd lost huge amounts of money on the racing. Decided they were better off representing riders, rather than trying to run a business, which they didn't do well.

2. The series was put up for sale. After all was over and done, DMG (Daytona Motor Group), ended up purchasing the series. The main finance guy behind the group is Jimmy France, whose family owns NASCAR. His counsel is David Atlas, a Harvard Law grad, active in racing for the last 30 years. Used to race a Suzuki 500 in the Vintage class.

3. DMG decided that they would run a series where everyone had an opportunity to win. Not a series dominated by factories where special parts, tires, etc., were given to the chosen few.

4. DMG offered to keep all of the rules in place for the manufacturers. Every time DMG offered to modify their rules, the manufacturers changed their tune, and demanded something else.

5. Both Mel Harris and Ray Blank had a hard on for Roger Edmundson. They were the movers and shakers that attempted to screw him when the AMA attempted to steal his series. As everyone knows, the AMA lost a 3M verdict to him over that little game.

6. Both Mel Harris & Ray Blank have said essentially that they aren't going to run in a series where they can't control the series. That wasn't going to happen here. When someone like Michael Jordan can't win, despite his economics, something is crooked. That isn't going to happen in theDMG series.

7. Ulrich has pointed out the truth of what has occurred, and he has pointed the finger of blame at Mel Harris more than once.

8. The manufacturers haven't been able to obtain racing sites nor have they gotten the infra-structure in place to organize any racing series. Indeed, their purses, under the AMA are so small, if you run their series, you can't even pay for the tires you'll use. DMG has guaranteed enough money so that a privateer can survive. Given the above, expect to see very, very small grids at the manufacturers races.

Sorry for the rank, but I've always found it better to keep my mouth shut when I don't know what I'm talking about.

Art

I hope your saying I do not have a clue cuz you mis-understood what I typed cuz I think I have a firm grasp on what is happening here...

 

[wookie]

"3. DMG decided that they would run a series where everyone had an opportunity to win. Not a series dominated by factories where special parts, tires, etc., were given to the chosen few."

Yeah thats what DMG wants..........:rofl......................
As long as you dont show up in a motohome. I dont think any organization run by a self described "Dictator" is interested in a series where everybody has a chance to win. I wont even go into the whole rain racing issue. I really hope the MIC series gets off the ground, I wont attend anything that has to do with DMG. RE & DMG are high if they think their NASCAR mentality is going to apply to motorcycle road racing.

 

[afmotorsports]

3. DMG decided that they would run a series where everyone had an opportunity to win. Not a series dominated by factories where special parts, tires, etc., were given to the chosen few.

Sorry Art, but I disagree with you here. The best riders get the factory rides and that's why they win. Even if the equipment is "equal" they will still win because they have more TALENT than the mid-pack riders. The "special parts" come out when an OEM is trying to get their factory rider ahead of the other OEM's factory rider. They don't give out the special parts to every goober on the grid because it's a waste of resources to give some guy in 23rd a special part that might get him to 19th - nobody really cares about those guys, they're just there to build up their skills and maybe improve to the point that a serious team considers them for a ride... and then they get the special parts that can get them into the top 10, top 5 or maybe the podium. I see nothing wrong with that. The backmarkers have to pay their dues and prove their potential before major resources are dedicated to them. There's no way you can have a series where "everyone has an opportunity to win" unless you handicap the front runners (extra weight, power restrictions - like NASCRAP! :rolleyes) so that the goobers in the back of the pack can maybe keep up. That's not racing, that's the equivalent of staged competition, like pro-wrestling and even NASCRAP to some extent... and that makes me want to throw up! :green

This whole thing is about DMG wrestling away control from the OEMs, not about a "level playing field" or any of that other bs. And reigning in the OEMs is probably a good idea in the long run, but in the short term the lack of tact will cost DMG dearly if the OEMs pack up their stuff and go elsewhere. Good idea, very poor implementation...

4. DMG offered to keep all of the rules in place for the manufacturers. Every time DMG offered to modify their rules, the manufacturers changed their tune, and demanded something else.

Wait a minute, you missed the part where DMG came in to strongarm the OEMs, acting like they're the new sherrif in town and everybody should just bow down to them. Guess what?? You can't treat these guys like little bitches when they've been the backbone of the series for some many years. DMG majorly pissed off the OEMs and basically poured gasoline on the smoldering fire between Edmondson and Harris and Blank. Who's fault is that??? DMG, pure and simple! Dean Adams on Superbikeplanet estimated that the manufacturers contribution to the show we call AMA Pro Racing was somewhere around $60 MILLION - why would an intelligent businessman try to piss off entities that are contributing that kind of money to the show he just bought??? That's friggin ridiculous!

I agree with a lot of the stuff JU wrote. However, I think he let off DMG waaaay too easy for their MAJOR screw-ups when they first took over the series. And he's also not questioning where DMG will get the huge purses they're promising if $60 MILLION worth of OEM contribution goes to another series. Will the fans pay $75 for tickets and line up 500 deep to get autographs from Johnny Rock Page?? I don't think so. Will the France family keep pouring money into AMA Pro purses if you just end up with a bunch of privateers racing out of toyhaulers and pickup trucks?? How come JU didn't question where all this money is coming from that DMG has promised in purses?? How come JU didn't question the viability of a series potentially filled with amateur riders that nobody knows? Will television executives chomp at the bit to put that crap on tv?? Yeah right, just like they're lining up to put AFM races on SPEED... At least we know the OEMs budgets were already in the $60 million range, so how does DMG replace $60 million worth of OEM trucks, trailers, teams, star riders, etc. AND pay out a bunch of money on top of that?? You can do a lot of stuff with $60 million, so does DMG have an even remotely close budget to that in order to compete with the OEM series?? (which btw I hope to God doesn't actually happen!) Sure you can nail Mel Harris and Ray Blank for the more recent stuff - unless it was intentional to derail the DMG series and buy them time to set up a new one, in which case it's a briliant business move - but you can't ignore all the nonsense that took place earlier in the season. And if they truly make the MIC series happen, I'm more likely to pay for a ticket to watch Matt Mladin and the other factory star riders than a bunch of 2nd rate riders - I'm not a huge Mladin fan, but he hit the nail on the head when he made that statement at Infineon! I want to see rockstar riders on badass superbikes, plain and simple... not a bunch of nobodies banging fairings on 120hp steaming piles of $hit.

DMG needs the OEMs to improve the series and they can't afford to have them walk away or even worse, start a competing series. Everybody will lose if that happens, at least that much we can all agree on.

 

[TWF]

DMG needs the OEMs to improve the series and they can't afford to have them walk away or even worse, start a competing series./QUOTE]
but only as competing teams.

 

[Seesm]

Here here... I liked that. FTW Alley Cat!!

He (Alex) btw loves Johnny Rock Page. and 3rd person Johnny loves him.

 

[afmotorsports]

That interview with Jordan a year or two ago was very revealing. Here was a multi-millionaire, famous for his competitive spirit, who honestly wanted to win....and he couldn't even buy the parts to win because the people making the parts were the same people controlling the series.

Nah, that's not the way it works. In 2002 he gave his homeboy Montez Stewart a ride and while I'm sure he must've been a nice guy, he was painfully slow and didn't even make the grid most of the time. He also hired Jason Pridmore (good guy, old guy, passed his prime...) and wanted to "win" against Mladin and Spies?? C'mon, are you friggin serious?? He couldn't buy the parts to win because he didn't have a rider who could win. You could back up the whole Yosh truck and Jason couldn't beat those guys - sorry, that's not intended as an insult to Pridmore, but he's not on par with Mladin and Spies and I think he would agree. If he was serious about winning, why not cough up a big paycheck to a Carlos Checa or Max Biaggi or any of the other washed-up MotoGP racers who are currently extending their careers in the WSBK nursing home?? Finally now MJ hired Yikes! who's a washed up Yosh guy, but still plenty fast and now they're definitely more competitive. Is he going to win a Superbike race with Yikes? Unlikely. Pay the salary for a top rider and then you have a shot, otherwise stfu...

It's a typical newbie to racing excuse that you're not winning just because you don't have the "cool parts". Guess what, the parts don't do squat unless they're used by a very compentent rider and Jordan probably just repeated the bs he heard from his team, whining about the reasons they were getting their ass handed to them... It's not just the parts, people! Poor Montez couldn't win an AMA race even if you shoved rocket propellers up his a$$ and gave him twice the displacement of the other bikes. That interview with Jordan was just bs and whining - he didn't win because he wasn't playing a winning hand. It's that simple.